It had been six days since the two Ned Bannisters had ridden away together into the mountains, and every waking hour since that time had been for Helen one of harassing anxiety.No word had yet reached her of the issue of that dubious undertaking, and she both longed and dreaded to hear.He had promised to send a messenger as soon as he had anything definite to tell, but she knew it would be like his cousin, too, to send her some triumphant word should he prove the victor in the struggle between them.So that every stranger she glimpsed brought to her a sudden beating of the heart.
But it was not the nature of Helen Messiter to sit down and give herself up a prey to foreboding.Her active nature cried out for work to occupy her and distract her attention.Fortunately this was to be had in abundance just now.For the autumn round-up was on, and since her foreman was away the mistress of the Lazy D found plenty of work ready to her hand.
The meeting place for the round-up riders was at Boom Creek, five miles from the ranch, and Helen rode out there to take charge of her own interests in person.With her were six riders, and for the use of each of them in addition to his present mount three extra ponies were brought in the remuda.For the riding is so hard during the round-up that a horse can stand only one day in four of it.At the appointed rendezvous a score of other cowboys and owners met them.Without any delay they proceeded to business.Mr.Bob Austin, better known as "Texas," was elected boss of the round-up, and he immediately assigned the men to their places and announced that they would work Squaw Creek.They moved camp at once, Helen returning to the ranch.
It was three o'clock in the morning when the men were roused by the cook's triangle calling them to the "chuck wagon" for breakfast.It was still cold and dark as the boys crawled from under their blankets and squatted round the fire to eat jerky, biscuits and gravy, and to drink cupfuls of hot,black coffee.Before sun rose every man was at his post far up on the Squaw Creek ridges ready to begin the drive.
Later in the day Helen rode to the parade grounds, toward which a stream of cattle was pouring down the canyon of the creek.Every gulch tributary to the creek contributed its quota of wild cows and calves.These came romping down the canyon mouth, where four picked men, with a bunch of tame cows in front of them, stopped the rush of flying cattle.Lunch was omitted, and branding began at once.Every calf belonging to a Lazy D cow, after being roped and tied, was flanked with the great D which indicated its ownership by Miss Messiter, and on account of the recumbent position of which letter the ranch had its name.
It was during the branding that a boyish young fellow rode up and handed Helen a note.Her heart pumped rapidly with relief, for one glance told her that it was in the handwriting of the Ned Bannister she loved.She tore it open and glanced swiftly through it.
DEAR FRIEND: Two hours ago my cousin was killed by one of his own men.I am sending back to you a boy who had been led astray by him, and it would be a great service to me if you would give him something to do till I return.His name is Hugh Rogers.I think if you trust him he will prove worthy of it.
Jim and I are going to stay here a few days longer to finish the work that is begun.We hope to meet and talk with as many of the men implicated in my cousin's lawlessness as is possible.What the result will be I cannot say.We do not consider ourselves in any danger whatever, though we are not taking chances.If all goes well we shall be back within a few days.
I hope you are not missing Jim too much at the roundup.Sincerely, NED BANNISTERShe liked the letter because there was not a hint of the relationship between them to be read in it.He had guarded her against the chance of its falling into the wrong hands and creating talk about them.
She turned to Hughie."Can you ride?"
"In a way, ma'am.I can't ride like these men." His glance indicated a cow-puncher pounding past after a wild steer that had broken through thecordon of riders and was trying to get away."Do you want to learn?""I'd like to if I had a chance," he answered wistfully.
"All right.You have your chance.I'll see that Mr.Austin finds something for you to do.From to-day you are in my employ."She rode back to the ranch in the late afternoon, while the sun was setting in a great splash of crimson.The round-up boss had hinted that if she were nervous about riding alone he could find it convenient to accompany her.But the girl wanted to be alone with her own thoughts, and she had slipped away while he was busy cutting out calves from the herd.It had been a wonderful relief to her to find that HER Ned Bannister was the one that had survived in the conflict, and her heart sang a paean of joy as she rode into the golden glow of the westering sun.He was alive--to love and be loved.The unlived years of her future seemed to unroll before her as a vision.She glowed with a resurgent happiness that was almost an ecstasy.The words of a bit of verse she had once seen--a mere scrap from a magazine that had stuck in an obscure corner of her memory--sang again and again in her heart:
Life and love And a bright sky o'er us, And--God take care Of the way before us!
Ah, the way before them, before her and her romance-radiating hero! It might he rough and hilly, but if they trod it together-- Her tangled thoughts were off again in another glad leap of imagination.
The days passed somehow.She busied herself with the affairs of the ranch, rode out often to the scenes of the cattle drives and watched the round-up, and every twenty-four hours brought her one day nearer to his return, she told herself.Nora, too, was on the lookout under her longlashed, roguish eyelids; and the two young women discussed the subject of their lovers' return in that elusive, elliptical way common to their sex.
